We, students and community members concerned about social justice and
freedom of expression,
decided to attend York Is U’s “Spirit Rally” in Vari Hall to bring
attention to
the University’s lack of commitment to social justice. While “school
spirit”
has a role to play in University life, we have decided to expose the
York
administration’s exploitation of school spirit to steer the York
community in
the direction of student apathy and de-politicization. While York is U
did not end up attending, we carried through with our goal to address
apathy at York with cheers, handing out pamphlets,
and talking to students. Unfortunately, York Security threatened to arrest all participants
for chanting in Vari Hall.

While the erosion of democratic student space under the
pretense of increasing “student space” intensifies, the University continues to
support Israeli apartheid and environmental degradation by its ongoing
investments in military corporations and companies engaged in fracking, and it
continues to increase tuition with the knowledge that future protests have been
deterred.

We encourage students and community members not to support
the York brand uncritically, but to ensure the University better reflects the
community’s values as well as York’s own Mission Statement, which states:

A community of faculty, students, staff, alumni and
volunteers committed to academic freedom, social justice, accessible education,
and collegial self-governance, York University makes innovation its tradition.

We also sought to draw attention to the hypocrisy of the
University administration for encouraging a spirit rally in Vari Hall while sanctioning
our club for holding a rally on March 27 to demand divestment from Israeli
apartheid. The administration also banned a Palestinian alumnus and member of
SAIA by threatening to charge him with trespass if he were to enter York
University property.

In response to these unprecedented sanctions, three leading institutions
for freedom of expression, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), the
Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), and the Ontario Civil
Liberties Association (OCLA) have all condemned the York University
administration. They also called on the administration to amend University
policies which pose a threat to free speech, particularly the Senate Policy on Disruptive and/or Harassing Behaviour in Academic Situations,
the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and the Temporary Use of University Space policy.

We call on the York administration to immediately lift the
sanctions and engage with us in amending these undemocratic policies in
accordance with the recommendations of the civil liberties associations. And we
demand that York University divests from Israeli apartheid in
compliance with the resolutions of the YFS, GSA, CUPE 3903, and numerous student clubs
and associations within the York community. We will not be silent. We will
continue to organize for BDS and social justice, and we will continue to resist
administrative repression with all democratic means and civil disobedience
tactics at our disposal.

Students Against Israeli Apartheid at York University

Students Against Israeli Apartheid at York University (SAIA York) is part of the global campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against the state of Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law.